This chicken originates from The Port of Leghorn in Italy and arrived in Britain in the late 1800s in the white form followed by the brown. They have white earlobes and yellow legs and the eye is red in all colours. The females have a double folded comb, a deep abdomen and a whipped tail. The eyes are prominent and the beak is short and stout. Earlobes are well defined and the wattles are long, thin and fine in texture. Their legs are long and featherless with four toes on the feet with a long straight back toe and the feathers on the body are soft and silky. The Leghorns were one of the breeds used to create the modern battery hybrid layer as they are very productive birds and are able to adapt to all conditions.
Leghorns are prolific layers that rarely go broody and are non-sitters unless left undisturbed. Eggs are white and of good size and are laid throughout the year. Chicks are easy to rear. They feather up quickly, are fast growers and mature quickly. The comb is large so care needs to be taken in cold, frosty weather to avoid frostbite. They can be left to roam freely but are just as happy in a run. They are sprightly, alert birds and can be tamed but not enough to allow handling and prefer to remain rather aloof. They can be rather noisy and will roost in trees given the chance. They are not good as table birds as they aren\'t very meaty.
Black, blue (not laced), brown, buff, cuckoo, golden duckwing, silver duckwing, exchequer, mottled, partridge, pyle and white.
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They are very nice but they hate being near humans and being handled!
Owned 4 breeds in my lifetime of 60+ years starting with a flock of white Leghorns on a farm, then a Rhode Island Red as a single pet for the kids, and as retirees have a backyard flock of 2 Silkies, a rescued white Leghorn, and a Cuckoo Marans. The Marans was a bully so we gave her away. Left with 2 bantams, we weren't sure about keeping the Leghorn. But the Leghorn is as gentle with the Silkies as she is beautiful to watch. She came to us as an adult shy bird and quickly fit in with the Silkies. She is an alert leader, intelligently respects fence barriers until we open them up, knows how to snooze under safe shelter, will hop onto our lap or arm to take treats, and gives beautiful snowy eggs every day until moult. Her December moult was severe but in January she has a full set of new feathers. She's trusting and mellow for health inspection if done in the evening after roosting. She is not a cuddle-bug like the Silkies. She is aloof yet friendly. She understands verbal commands and hand signals and knows her name. Something I've noticed about all Mediterranean hens with the large floppy single comb is that most of the combs seem to flop over their right eye as their left eye is the one used most to search for flying predators. Our next flock will include hardy Leghorns again - perhaps an Exchequer and a Light Brown. Excellent active foragers with an economical feed to egg ratio with this breed. Great temperaments if raised with care and respect!
We have one white Leghorn who is the most confident of our 4 chickens, often foraging on her own, a little aloof but extremely comical to watch with her big floppy red comb. The eggs are a lovely white colour and medium in size. She has been the most reliable layer of the group, producing around 5 eggs/week as soon as she arrived. Doesn't seem to mind wind/ rain/ heat. Can fly although wings were clipped and we sometimes find her perched at the top of the bracer for the straining posts (about 2foot above ground). I would highly recommend adding at least one of these to your flock.
We recently aquirre 2 brown leghorn hens. they were extremely shy (and loud) but lowely calmed down , wen we got them they were very young and hav just began laying last week! so far we hav lovely white little eggs. they are beautiful! absoulutely stunning appearance! really good lookers! would recommend them to anyone with a bit of experiance!
We bought three white leghorns back in 2006, one died but the other two are still going till this day, laying seven eggs a week! they like to sleep in trees in our garden and then all the others started! (isa brown, rhode island red, marans (cookoo, grey and splash) Speckledies and cream crested legbar.) They are not so good for chicks if you want them. I love them, great chickens that love to free range!
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